State Education Officials May Split Regents Exam

New York state education officials want to split a test covering all of global history and geography into two exams – and only require one for graduation.

The proposal came after an outcry earlier this year – largely from history teachers – when the board considered making the exam optional. The test has the lowest passing rate of any of the five required for graduation, including math, science, English and U.S. history.

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch had advocated allowing students to replace the global history graduation requirement with a vocational exam, or an additional math or science subject test, to give students more options for earning a diploma. Teachers, however, said they feared an untested subject wouldn’t be taken seriously. They said it was the only test that packed two years’ worth of material into one exam.

To address that particular concern, state Education officials said the state could split the exam. The first year would cover “foundational skills” in world history, geography, economics and civics, and the second year would focus on “cross cultural themes and patterns.” The required test would cover the second-year coursework.

Regent James Tallon, who was appointed to represent an upstate district that includes Binghamton, warned that people should not see this as “dumbing down” the test, but rather a better way to test students’ knowledge. But Regent Kathy Cashin, who represents Brooklyn, said that criticism could be warranted.

Cost for splitting the test could be a big hurdle. State education officials said it would cost between $500,000 and $1 million just to transform the current, wide-ranging test into a more focused version. They said they don’t have any idea what it would cost to create an additional test to cover the remaining coursework.

In 2011, 69% of students statewide received a passing score on the global history and geography exam, the lowest of any required exam.

The board would vote on a final proposal in October, and the tests would take effect in the 2013-14 school year.